Indonesia's fifth president Megawati Soekarnoputri will receive an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 9, 2026. This marks her 11th such honor, recognizing her role as Indonesia's first female president. She will also deliver an oration on empowering women in governance.
Megawati Soekarnoputri, Indonesia's fifth president, is scheduled to receive the Doctor Honoris Causa degree from Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) in Riyadh on Monday, February 9, 2026. PNU is recognized as the world's largest women's university.
Ahmad Basarah, head of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) foreign affairs division, stated that the event honors Megawati's efforts as Indonesia's first female president from 2001 to 2004. "PNU is the largest women's university in the world and this is an appreciation for her extraordinary efforts as the first female president of the Republic of Indonesia," Basarah said in a written statement.
This will be Megawati's 11th honorary doctorate, following 10 such degrees and three honorary professorships from various universities at home and abroad. The award acknowledges her dedication in politics and social fields, including strengthening international relations and democracy. Basarah highlighted that Megawati is the first non-Saudi figure to receive this honor from PNU.
During the ceremony, Megawati will deliver an oration titled "Empowerment of Women in State Governance." Basarah hopes the awarding will inspire PNU and serve as a role model for women's emancipation in other Islamic countries, given Indonesia's status as the world's largest Muslim-majority nation. "And it could perhaps become a role model for how in other Islamic countries worldwide, women's emancipation and giving women equal place and rights with men," he added.
The event underscores Megawati's global role in advancing gender equality.
